Coupler operating roc bracket



Feb. 21, 1956 J. s. SWANN COUPLER OPERATING ROD BRACKET Filed Aug. 25, 1954 INVENTOR. Jzfizea 5 54040272 BEA/1Q, W

United tates Patent COUPLER OPERATING ROD BRACKET James S. Swann, Homewood, 11]., assignor to Standard Railway Equipment Manufacturing Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Delaware Application August 25, 1954, Serial No. 452,063 8 Claims. (Cl. 213-171) This invention relates, as indicated, to release rigging brackets. More particularly, the invention is concerned with an imporved bracket for supporting the operating rod in an apparatus for manipulating the locking pin of a car couple.

In certain types of release riggings employing a revolvable operating rod for removing the locking pin, it is necessary, in order to disengage the release rigging from the coupler, for example, when the coupler is to be repaired, to remove the operating rod from the car. Therefore, a bracket that is separable is required so that the operating rod may be removed. All release rigging brackets are subjected to a great deal of rough treatment, as with everything connected with railway cars, and in the past have been cracked and broken during usage. Thus, it is important that the bracket be able to stand up in use.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a release rigging bracket which is simple in construction and consists of a few strong and durable parts so that the device will be capable of withstanding the rough usage to which it is subjected in a railway car.

A further object of the invention is to provide a release rigging bracket of two main parts so constructed and arranged that said parts are readily separable manually, and are practically inseparable accidentlly.

Further objects and advantages of this invention will become evident as the description proceeds and from an examination of the accompanying drawing which illustrates one embodiment of the invention and in'which similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

in the drawings:

Figure l is a perspective view of the release rigging bracket showing in dotted lines the approximate location of a portion of a coupler operating rod supported therein.

Figure 2 is a side view of the bracket and rod as it would appear assembled on a railway car.

Figure 3 is a top plan view of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is an end view of the bracket partly in section.

In the drawings, indicates an operating rod for an Association of American Railroads Standard E coupler, which rod is provided at its outer end with a depending handle portion 11, and at its inner end with a hook portion 12, adapted for connection with an eye 13 of the lock lifter 14, and pivotally connected at one end to the link which lifts the lock of the coupler 17 upon rotation of said rod. The rod 10 is supported by a bracket connected to the sill of a freight car.

The bracket for said rod comprises a pressed mounting plate 20 having an upright portion 21 provided with spaced holes 22, 23 through which attaching means, such as bolts or rivets, may secure said bracket to the end of the car. Plate 29 is bent at about a right angle to form an upper arm 24. Upper arm 24 is disposed at one end of mounting plate 20, and may be relatively shorter in width than said plate. Plate 20 is also bent at less than a right angle to form a lower flange 25. Lower flange ice 25 extends substantially the entire width of mounting plate 20 in order to provide said flange with the maximum structural strength and rigidity. The lower flange is inclined downwardly in two directions. As shown, the

lower flange 25 is inclined downwardly from one end 7 toward the other of upright 21 and also from a plane normal to upright 21. A downwardly bent end 26 is provided on lower flange 25. Upright 21 and lower flange 25 are relatively wider than upper arm 24, with respect to the longitudinal dimension of plate 20. Upper arm 24 and lower flange 25 define a laterally open channel 27 for holding a forged head 40 to support operating rod 10.

Head 49 has a body member 41, having an upper portion 47 abutting upper arm 24 and a lower portion 48 abutting lower flange 25. Upper portion 47 and lower portion 48, together with inner end 50 and outer end 51, define a cavity 42 in body member 41. A hook 43 for supporting operating rod 10 is mounted on the outer end 51 of body member 41. Hook 43 has an open end 46 partially closed by a lip 44. It will be seen that lip 44 is adjacent upper arm 24 so that the open end 46 of hook 43 is closed by upper arm 24 when body member 41 is secured in the channel 27 between upper arm 24 and lower flange 25.

Mounting plate 20 is provided with a raised portion 28 between upper arm 24 and lower flange 25. Such raised portion has an aperture 29 to receive boss '45 mounted on the inner end 50 of head 4t).

Upper arm 24 is provided with a hole 31 therein axially aligned with a hole 32 in lower flange 25. The body member 41 of head 40 contains axially aligned holes '52 and 53 in the upper portion 47 and lower portion 48,

respectively. Holes 52 and 53 in said body member are axially aligned with holes 31 and 32 of mounting plate 20 when head 40 is secured in channel 27. A cotter pin 60, inserted through holes 31, 32 in the mounting plate 24), and holes 52 and 53 in head 40, removably secure said head to said mounting plate. The ends 61 and 62 of the cotter pin 60 may be spread to prevent accidental removal of the cotter pin.

In operation, to remove the operating rod 10 from the bracket, cotter pin 60 is removed and head 40 is easily slid outwardly on the downwardly inclined lower flange 25. After the hook 43 is sufliciently clear of upper arm 24 the rod may be conveniently removed.

In the drawing and specification, there have been set forth a preferredembodiment of the invention, and although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation. Changes in form and in the proportion of parts, as well as the substitution of equivalents are contemplated, as-circumstances may suggest or render expedient, without departing from the spirit or scope of this invention as further defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A supporting bracket for an operating rod adapted to operate a car coupler upon manual rotation of said rod, said bracket comprising a mounting plate having spaced arms defining a laterally open channel, a head removably mounted in said channel having a body member abutting said arms, a hook member on said body member for supporting said rod, said hook member having an upwardly open end closed by said upper arm engaging a lip of said hook member when said head member is mounted in said channel, and means for removably securing said head in said channel.

2. A supporting bracket for an operating rod adapted to operate a car coupler upon manual rotation of said rod, said bracket comprising a mounting plate having an upper arm member and a lower flange member defining a channel, a head removably mounted in said channel comprising a body member abutting said upper arm and lower flange and a hook member for supporting said rod, said hook member having an upwardly open end closed by said upper arm when said head member is mounted in said channel, and means for removably securing said head in said channel.

3. A supporting bracket for an operating rod adapted to operate a car coupler upon manual rotation of said rod, said bracket comprising a mounting plate having an upper arm member and a lower flange member defining a laterally-open channel, a head removably mounted in said channel comprising a body member abutting said upper arm and lower flange and a hook member for supporting said rod, said hook member having an upwardly open end closed by said upper arm when said head member is mounted in said channel, and means carried by said upper arm and lower flange for rcmovably mounting said head in said channel.

4. A supporting racket for an operating rod adapted to operate a car coupler upon manual rotation of said rod, said bracket comprising a mounting plate having an upper arm member and a lower flange member defining a laterally-open channel, a head removably mounted in said channel comprising a body member abutting said upper arm and lower flange and a hook member for supporting said rod having an upwardly open end, a boss mounted on the inner end of said body member, said mounting plate having a raised portion, an aperture in said raised portion adapted to receive said boss, and means carried by said upper arm and lower flange for removably mounting said head in said channel.

5. A supporting bracket for an operating rod adapted to operate a car coupler upon manual rotation of said rod, said bracket comprising a mounting plate having upright member, an upper arm and a lower flange, said upper arm and lower flange defining a channel, a head removably mounted in said channel comprising a body member and a hook member for supporting said operating rod, said body member having an upper portion abutting said upper arm and a lower portion abutting said lower flange, said hook member having an upwardly open end closed by said upper arm when said head member is mounted in said channel, and means for removably mounting said head in said channel.

6. A supporting bracket for an operating rod adapted to operate a car coupler upon manual rotation of said rod, said bracket comprising a mounting plate having upright member, an upper arm and a lower flange, said upper arm and lower flange defining a channel, a head removably mounted in said channel comprising a body member and a hook member projecting from the outer end of said body member for supporting said operating rod, said body member having an upper portion abutting said upper arm and a lower portion abutting said lower flange, said hook member having an upwardly open end closed by said upper arm when said head member is mounted in said channel, a boss mounted on the inner end of said body member, said mounting plate having a raised portion between said upper arm and said lower flange, an aperture in said raised portion adapted to receive said boss of said body member, and means carried by said upper arm and lower flange for removably mounting said head in said channel.

7. A supporting bracket for an operating rod adapted to operate a car coupler upon manual rotation of said rod, said bracket comprising a mounting plate having upright member, an upper arm and a lower flange, said upper arm and lower flange defining a channel, means for mounting said plate on a car, a head removably mounted in said channel comprising a body member and a hook member projecting from the outer end of said body member for supporting said operating rod, said body member having an upper portion abutting said upper arm and a lower portion abutting said lower flange, said hook memher having an upwardly open end closed by said upper mm when said head member is mounted in said channel, a boss mounted on the inner end of said body member, said mounting plate having a raised portion between said upper arm and said lower flange, an aperture in said raised portion adapted to receive said boss of said body member, and means carried by said mounting plate for removably securing said head in said channel.

8. A supporting bracket for an operating rod adapted to operate a car coupler upon manual rotation of said rod, said bracket comprising a mounting plate having upright member, an upper arm and a lower flange, said upper arm and lower flange defining a channel, said lower flange being downwardly inclined from said upright member, means for mounting said plate on a car, a head removably mounted in said channel comprising a body member and a hook member projecting from the outer end of said body member for supporting said operating rod, said body member having an upper portion abutting said upper arm and a lower portion abutting said lower flange, said hook member having an upwardly open end closed by said upper arm when said head member is mounted in said channel, a boss mounted on the inner end of said body member, said mounting plate having a raised portion between said upper arm and said lower flange, an aperture in said raised portion adapted to receive said boss of said body member, axially aligned holes provided in said upper arm, lower arm and said body member, and a pin removably mounted in said holes for removably securing said head in said channel.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

